Keening

I offer a two-part workshop about keening, the Gaelic practice of ritual wailing at a wake/funeral.

1. History of keening, including origins, practices, erasure (including how that erasure connects with the erasures perpetrated in North America)

2. A grief ritual that invited embodied vocalizing, loosely inspired by the Gaelic tradition of keening

This workshop is open to anyone who is interested in the history of keening, and of moaning/wailing/singing/burping with other people.

Grieving is not an individual feeling, rather it is a group action. I am tempted to replace the word “group” with “community.” That grieving is a community action. This workshop offers an opportunity to slide, or crawl, or sprint, or waltz through the landscape created by the intersection of voice and grief.

There is no prior vocal training required for this offering. There is no one way “keening’ is supposed to sound. There are many ways to participate.

Most of what I share has been learned from Dr. Mary McLaughlin, Dr. Michael Newton, and more.

Contact me to inquire about bringing keening to your organization, school, studio, or digital platform